Brave New World
by Koneko Cain
Summary: Complete. Seto Kaiba has a deal to make with Yami Bakura. All the thief wants is to go back to the Ring, but to do that he has to die.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: **This little brat Sophie is here pissing me off and I just got salt in a cut on my hand, therefore I must write angst because my good day is rapidly changing for the worst. Brave New World is an amazing song by Iron Maiden, I'll probably stick the lyrics in at some point near the end. I started writing this fic when I was sitting at a bus stop in the rain. Really. I got a cold.

**Warnings: **Angst. Majorly. I don't usually write angst, but I'm having a bad day and this'll stop me kicking Sophie across the room. Must not kick eight year olds. Bad. Also Yaoi, possibly first attempt M-Preg (No, nobody gets turned into a girl, it just may or may not happen.), kinda an odd pairing.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters from Yugiou, I'm just borrowing them to make them miserable for a while.

Pairing – Seto Kaiba/Yami Bakura… maybe.

Brave New World – Chapter 1

_Yami Bakura POV _

I hate being mortal. I hate humans, I hate feeling and I hate this city! I'm sat here in a bus shelter, soaked to the skin, watching the rain pour down in sheets. Everything is grey and it's getting dark – I should go back to hikari's house but I hate it there too. Malik is always there and I'm in the way. I spend more time outside wandering around in the cold than I do at that house. I have nowhere else to go anyway, I wish I could go back to the Ring. I can't, now. I'd have to die first.

Some days I'm tempted.

I _hate_ being mortal. I'm going to have to live out the rest of my life and I have _nothing_. I can't even rob a bank in case the pharaoh finds out and sends me back to the accursed Shadow Realm. I hate it there, too.

The only place I liked were the cool, dark rooms inside the Sennen Ring. I loved the quiet in there – out here I feel naked and powerless and everything is so loud I can't hear myself think some days. I just want somewhere to hide, I'm a thief. Everyone can see me all the time now, I can't just disappear.

A car roars past me and I flinch back as a reflex, still not used to them. It sounds foolish, but to someone who last lives millennia ago they're frightening things. A ton of metal that moves faster than a horse can run, flying past only feet away from me. How do mortals ever get used to this?

Suddenly one of the cars slows and pulls to a stop right next to where I'm sitting, long and black and much bigger than the others. A door in the middle opens and a figure in a long coat steps out, striding over to me after closing the door behind himself. I know him. His name is Seto Kaiba now but in my time he was Seth, a priest. In this time he does not like the pharaoh and he is in charge of a great corporation that makes games. I have not spoken with him since the pharaoh, Marik and I became mortal.

"You're soaking wet." He points out as a greeting, standing before me with his arms folded, looking down on me. I don't care, even if I stood up he'd still be looking down, I am the same height as my hikari. The only people shorter than me are Yugi and the pharaoh, I hate being this small and thin and looking so helpless. Ryou is to blame for that.

Kaiba seems to be expecting a reply so I lean back in my seat and watch the rain, refusing to look up at him.

"Observant." I say. I'm not in the mood for meaningless conversation, and my voice only makes me sound more feminine. I can't blame that on hikari though, I always did have a girlish voice. I will blame that one on Ra, I think.

Kaiba is glaring at me now. I should be curious as to what he wants but I can't bring myself to care. I just want to sleep.

"Why are you sitting out here in the rain?" He demands. He's getting his expensive coat wet by standing there talking to me, I wish he'd go away.

"Why are you pretending to care?" I smirk a little, finally looking up at him. He looks annoyed, perhaps he'll have one of his lackeys kill me and I can go back to the Ring. I wait and he stares through me for a little longer, frowning and thinking about something. Finally he looks at me again and I stare back evenly, water dripping from my hair and my clothes drenched from the rain.

"Come on," he mutters, "I'll take you home."

I shake my head because I do not want to be his good deed for the day, looking out into the darkness and watching the street lights turn on. I wonder why they're orange? Not that it really matters.

"I do not want to go back there. Hikari has Malik over." I say, not caring if he doesn't know who I'm talking about.

"Not your home, mine. I have something to discuss with you, you can stay over. I'll give you dry clothes and something to eat, it's probably a better alternative to sitting out here waiting to catch hypothermia." He glares again. I stand up, looking suspicious. What would he have to discuss with me? A place to stay for the night sounds tempting, and I know Kaiba has a huge mansion. It must be quiet in there. I don't want to ride in his car, though. I don't like them. However, the only thing the two of us know about each other is that we both hate the pharaoh, so perhaps whatever Kaiba wants to talk about involves him.

I stare at him for a long moment, weighing my options, and finally decide that I have no reason not to go with him. His dark blue eyes are looking at me strangely and I wonder if perhaps he just wants sex. All I want is a place to sleep.

"Alright, lead the way." I tell him. He nods once and takes me to his car, opening the door for me. I give the long, black machine a distrustful glare before I take a deep breath and get in, surprised at how big it is inside. He slides in opposite me and closes the door, tapping twice on the glass separating us from the driver. The engine starts and the car pulls forward onto the road, heading towards where I assume Kaiba's mansion must be.

He's staring at me again and I turn to look at him so I don't have to see the dark scenery rushing past beyond the window. I feel dizzy and nauseous, I think Kaiba has noticed my white-knuckle grip on the seat because he's smirking.

"Are we going too fast for you? I can tell the driver to slow down if you like." He says, mocking me. I snarl at him and turn back to the window, looking at the glass and trying not to see beyond it. He laughs quietly at me and for a moment I'm tempted to demand that he stop the car and let me out.

"I didn't come with you to amuse you, _priest_." I hiss, knowing that referring to him as a priest will annoy him. He stops smirking, seeming to realise that it won't take much to drive me away. He must really want to speak with me about something important.

"You don't like cars." He states, still watching me but without the arrogant smirk. Now he's just trying to psycho-analyse me, which I don't particularly care about.

"No." I say, and get the feeling I should be contributing more to this conversation. "I'm not used to them."

He nods and seems pleased that I'm even speaking at all – normally I'd just ignore him. I must be an interesting specimen to him, he's studying me closely enough. Then again, it isn't every day you meet an ancient spirit given flesh. Unless you live around here, that is.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?" He asks, trying not to sound like he's being generous.

"Anything." I reply. I really will eat any food he chooses, I don't care what it is, I'm starving because I keep forgetting to eat. He nods again and I notice I'm shaking. I raise my hand and stare at it, quite interested and trying to figure out what's causing it. It could be the cold – my clothes are still soaked – or not eating, or being in this car. Perhaps it's due to being stared at by Kaiba like I'm something he can keep in a jar and study. I feel like I should have stayed at that bus shelter in the rain.

"Are you alright?" He asks, watching me stare at my shaking hand thoughtfully.

"No," I say, and laugh, turning back to look out of the window. We're almost there because there are no more streetlights – this road is a driveway up to Kaiba's oversized house. I need to get out of this car soon, I can feel every movement of it and it's getting hard to breathe. I sit still, not letting on to Kaiba that inside I'm having a panic attack; my heartbeat is pounding in my head.

Just when I'm about to tell Kaiba that I need to get out, the car slides to a stop in front of the mansion and I scramble out once the door opens. The cold air and icy rain feel wonderful and I close my eyes, feeling the still ground beneath my feet. I am never getting in a car again. I feel pathetic.

Kaiba is stood looking at me curiously while the car pulls away towards the garages, waiting for me to move. I wait a moment until the dizziness wears off and follow him, hoping he didn't notice that I almost lost it. I _hate_ being mortal!

"I hadn't realised travelling in a car would affect you so badly." He remarks casually as I follow him shakily up the steps to the massive doors.

"Go to hell." I growl as he unlocks the door and lets me in. He's smirking again, I hate the fact that I amuse him. He closes the door behind us and suddenly I want to leave. I can't stand him laughing at me!

"Let me out of here." I demand, turning back to the door. I can see his reflection in a mirror in the hallway, he looks surprised.

"What?" He isn't laughing now, and I yank the door open.

"I am leaving." I leave the warmth of his huge, empty mansion, walking back out to the top of the marble steps we just came up.

"Wait, Bakura-" he follows me back out into the rain and I freeze as he says my name. It feels strange and I whirl around to face him angrily.

"I will not stay here while you mock me!" I snarl, turning to leave again. He catches my wrist and I flinch, unused to being touched.

"I'm sorry." He says quietly, looking into my angry eyes so that I can see he means it. "Just come inside and get dry, if I say another word you're not happy with I'll take you home."

Now I'm even more suspicious. Whatever he wants from me it's enough to make Seto Kaiba apologise. Narrowing my eyes at him I yank my wrist from his grip and take a step back warily.

"What is it you want from me?" I demand in a growl, ready to bolt if it's something that involves me being kept in a lab like an animal. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, seeming to decide that he should come clean before I run.

"A child." He says quietly, and my eyes widen in shock. Did I hear that right?

"Wh-what?" I'm too stunned to bolt, now.

"Come inside, we need to talk." He walks back and holds the door open.

Feeling confused and numb, I slowly follow him inside and the door closes behind me.

TBC

Yeah, really managed to screw up Bakura this time. Job well done. Next part will be out the same time I update Dread and the Fugitive Mind, review and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Thanks for the reviews, they've cheered me up so here's another chapter, and I'm gonna go re-post a lot of my old fics.

Brave New World 2

_Yami Bakura POV _

I wait in the dark hallway as Kaiba vanishes off into the depths of this huge house to find me something dry to wear. I'm sure he doesn't want me dripping on his expensive carpet, after all.

'A child'?

I sink down to crouch against the wall near the door and rest my head in my hands, a million questions running through my mind. My new 'life' was bad enough to begin with, it seems Ra has seen fit to complicate it further. I hate the gods. I should say that in front of the pharaoh, perhaps my blasphemy will give him a heart attack.

The main question – the thing I most want to know right now – is how does Seto Kaiba know that, should I see fit, I can bear a child for him? Why me, anyway? He could ask the pharaoh or Marik, all three of us have the ability. We are creatures of shadow magic, our spirits are…unusual.

To know of this Kaiba must have been told by either Marik or the pharaoh. Since I do not think he has much contact with Marik it must have been the pharaoh. Perhaps he is doing this to punish me?

Another interesting question is: why does Kaiba want a child? I know that he bought his brother up so he's capable of looking after one, but _wanting_ one? Why doesn't he just adopt, or sleep with a woman?

The lights being switched on startle me and I stand up, taking the clothes Kaiba hands me.

"You can change in here. Leave your wet clothes, I'll have them washed." He says, leading me to a large bathroom. I say nothing, watching him leave before I enter the bathroom and close the door, stripping off. There's a full-length mirror in here and I wander over to it, taking a good look at what has become of the great king of thieves. My hair is a mess, but that's nothing unusual. My skin is pale and soft, not hardened with work and a harsh life in the desert as it once was. A tattoo of the eye of Horus stands out stark black against my white skin, staring blankly from my shoulder. I had it done when I first became my own person, not just hikari's darkness. It was something to distinguish myself from him, if only for myself to see.

Turning away from the mirror I ignore my wet clothes lying in a pile on the floor and inspect the new ones Kaiba has bought me. There's a pair of black jeans and a plain black T-shirt which both must be his because they're too big for me. I put them on, all the time feeling strange that I'm wearing his clothes – it seems too much like something a lover would do.

Ignoring the socks he has left for me I pad out barefoot from the bathroom and head down a long, dark corridor towards a light at the end. I can smell food and I don't remember the last time I ate, sot he sight of Kaiba holding a plate of plain rice and chicken is a welcome one. Upon seeing me standing in the entrance tot he kitchen he places the plate down on a counter and gestures for me to sit at the barstool next to it. I do as he asks and dig into the food like the starving peasant I am.

All the time I am eating I can feel him watching me silently – I hate that I interest him so much and his gaze makes me uncomfortable. I don't like being stared at so closely, I don't like people being able to see so much of me.

"Would you like a drink?" He asks, and I look up at his voice. I was getting used to the surreal silence but if he must insist on breaking it… I pick at what's left of my food and decide that he's going to answer some questions before he can try and distract me further.

"No." I watch him take a seat at the end of the counter; it looks like he knows it's time for answers. "What has the pharaoh been telling you? What exactly is it you want of me?" I look at him with eyes that have never trusted anyone.

"Yami tells me that he, you and Marik can…" he pauses, not sure how to word it delicately.

"Bear children." I growl.

"Yes. Is it true?" I don't blame him for not blindly believing everything the pharaoh says, but unfortunately this time he's telling the truth. Why could he not have kept such a thing to himself?

"Yes. Why do you want a child?" I glare suspiciously at him and he stands up to fetch himself a glass of water.

"Mokuba is away at college, this place is empty without anyone but me. My life has revolved around having someone to look after, I want a child before I let Kaibacorp completely take over my life and end up like Gozaburo." He says, concentrating on filling a glass with water so he doesn't have to look at me. It seems he's thought deeply about this, not that it should matter much to me.

"Then sleep with a woman." I say, and the look of distaste he cannot hide tells me all I need to know about that option.

"No." Is all he says, but no more is needed.

"Then why me, and not Marik or the pharaoh?" I demand.

"I wouldn't want to sleep with either of them." He tells me, and his smile makes me feel weak.

"Adopt, then." I hiss, keeping my gaze locked on my plate. Normally knowing that someone wants me would give me an advantage over them, but not with Kaiba. He is in control here and we both know it. That does not mean that I will just give in to him, though, and give him what he wants. A thief does not do favours for people, especially ones like this.

"I can't adopt. I was granted custody of Mokuba after Gozaburo's death, but there are strict rules when it comes to adoption." He explains. "Besides, I want this child to be _mine_. My blood." He says vehemently, sitting back down and drinking his water elegantly, all the while staring at me over the rim of his glass with those dark eyes.

"Your blood… and the blood of a thief?" I smirk, all the while knowing deep down that I am weak as a mortal, and he could easily force this on me should I refuse. I cannot tell if he would do that or not, I do not know him well enough.

"Better you than anyone else," He states, and I wonder what makes him prefer me over Marik and the pharaoh.

"Why should I do this for you?" I demand, angry at myself because his hypnotic voice makes me want to agree just so that I can be touched by him. Yet I still hate him, his arrogance grates on me and his eyes make me nervous.

Suddenly he is next to me and I am startled, so lost in my conflicting emotions that I did not see him move. I stand and take a step back, away from him, but he easily catches my arms. I look up at him, glaring angrily, and try to convince myself that the great tomb robber does not fear this mortal.

"I will pay you." He growls. "Whatever you want. All you have to do is stay here until the baby is born, then I'll give you the money and you'll never have to come back here again if you don't want to." He tells me and I shiver in his arms. With money I could get away from here, no more sitting in the rain because I do not want to go back to hikari's house. I could be alone, and all I would have to do is let him…

He must be able to see the indecision in my eyes because he lets go of me and shakes his head.

"Think about it tonight. Come on, I'll show you to your room." He turns away and I follow, my mind filled with the thought that I could even go home, back to Egypt. But I would have to stay here for almost a year first. I would need him, Kaiba. I would have to depend on him. Half the time I do not even remember to eat, I do not know anything about bearing a child other than that when the time comes it will have to be cut out of me.

I follow him up a flight of stairs and along a corridor to a door at the end, which he opens and turns on the light. Inside is a huge bed, a bookcase filled with books, a desk and a double window leading out onto a small balcony. Everything is decorated in dark wood and deep red for the curtains and sheets, a set of black silk night-clothes laid on the bed.

"My room is next door on the right. If you need anything just knock, I'll have your clothes washed and dried for you in the morning." He says, then leaves me in the huge room and closes the door softly.

Alone in this room I walk over to the bed and curl up on it, staring into the darkness beyond the window and losing myself in endless questions. I am afraid, and I hate it. If I say no I will go back to the way things were before this, waiting for this mortal body to die so that I can return to the Ring. If I say yes… I must sleep with him, bear a child and have it cut from me when the time comes, but I will be able to go back to Kuru Eruna. I will be able to _leave_ this place. I have never even thought of having a child before and it terrifies me, but if I die I will still go back to the Ring, and that is what I want in the end anyway. All I must do is become his whore for a while. Is this what the pharaoh had in mind when he told Kaiba that I could give him a child? Is this what he wanted, to see the proud grave robber give in and let some rich mortal use him this way? Perhaps. I could walk away from this right now, I am sure that I could climb down to the ground from the balcony beyond my window.

No. It is still raining and I am tired, so many things are spinning around in my mind that I feel dizzy. I will sleep tonight, and in the morning I will decide what to do. Hopefully if I refuse Kaiba he will let me go. If he does not… perhaps _that_ is what the pharaoh wanted.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Note: The computer crashed many, many times whilst typing this up.I shall now sulk.

Warning: Lemon ahead, don't like, don't read.

Brave New World 3

_Yami Bakura POV _

I cannot sleep anymore. I am used to waking in the dead of night, but this time I cannot fall asleep again. The silence bears down on me, even my own breaths sound like screams and I lay in the darkness, shaking. All I have left is my mind, which I am losing, and this body, which I am selling. Soon I will have nothing left at all and I have never felt so helpless. I want to curl up and cry like a child, beg Ra to give me another chance, send me back to Kuru Eruna and let me die with my family. I hate this new world, I want to walk into the desert and vanish, leave these mortal affairs for the mortals to deal with. I have nobody to comfort me, nobody to save me – I never have. So instead I slide out of bed and head to Kaiba's room. I need to hear the sound of another voice to stop everything being so loud, even his will do. Besides, perhaps speaking with him will make my decision easier.

I stand in front of his closed door, wearing black silk pyjamas that are a size too big for me and at least a size too small for Kaiba. I have been inside the Sennen Puzzle; I have opened many doors onto things that have tried to destroy me. I never feared them. I always knew that I could save myself.

Pushing the door open without a sound I slip inside and close it again, knowing that he is awake because I hear him move to switch on the lamp at his bedside.

"Don't." I say quietly, and he leaves the light off. I have always felt safer in the dark.

"Is there something you need?" He asks, sitting up in bed. I turn towards him but stay near the door, watching the dark shape he has become in the deeper blackness of his room.

"I do not know." I say, too lost to lie and not caring anymore if I don't make sense to him. I'm losing my mind. I can feel it; I'm standing on the edge of a void. It's always so much worse in the hours just before dawn; I want to scream to break the silence yet at the same time it deafens me. I am terrified and I do not know why.

He says nothing for a moment and I know he is watching me standing beside his door, going insane.

"Come here." He says after a while, gesturing to the bed. I do as he says and end up standing beside the huge bed, shivering. He probably wanted me to sit, but he doesn't push it and I stand for now, feeling helpless and not even understanding why I'm here.

"You seem upset." He states, and I look away because even in the blackness I still feel his eyes on me.

"I am not upset." I lie, and he knows it. "I cannot sleep."

"Why?" He asks in that smooth voice, and suddenly I am exhausted again. I sink to the floor next to his bed and shudder.

"I do not know. Everything is screaming…" I whisper, my voice breaking. I do not care how I sound to him. He is just another mortal.

Suddenly he moves and I tense in shock as he kneels on the floor behind me, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me against him.

"You're cold." He murmurs in my ear, his hot breath brushing against my neck. I don't have the strength to try and fight him so I let him hold me against his chest, my eyes closing in the darkness.

"I will give you your child…" I breathe, "if you take me home. When this is over, take me back to Egypt. Find Kuru Eruna for me, Kaiba…" I plead, knowing there won't be anything left of it now. Not even ruins, the desert has swallowed my home and I will join it, I will lose myself in the sands of Egypt for the last time.

I just want to go home…

I'm curled up against him now, trembling because I will not let myself cry. My throat hurts and my eyes sting, making me a mortal was the greatest of all the pharaoh's punishments for me.

"Alright. I'll find your home, I'll take you back there." Kaiba says, not bothering to tell me that there will be nothing left. He knows that I am no fool.

"Why me?" I almost beg of him. I do not think he had any idea how far I had fallen, but he does not seem to care to go back on his deal. I pray to Ra that his child is nothing like me.

"I like a challenge." He says honestly. "You're beautiful and crazy and better than any of them."

With that said he takes advantage of my surprise at his words, leaning down and kissing me. I have no will to struggle against him – I have sold my soul and agreed to be his whore now anyway – so I part my lips and let him kiss me, my eyes sliding closed again. I could lose myself in this, forget everything and pretend that we're doing this because we're lovers, not because he wants a child and I want him to take me back to Egypt to die. I will bury the Ring deep in the sands over Kuru Eruna, nobody will ever find me again.

His lips move down my jaw to my throat and I tip my head back, one of his hands in my hair and the other unbuttoning my silk shirt until it hangs open from my shoulders. I let him do as he pleases, keeping my eyes closed and losing myself in his touch, forgetting everything for the moment.

Without warning he lifts me up and lays me down on his bed, moving to straddle my hips and slide my shirt off, throwing it into the darkness. I open my eyes to look up at him as I feel his fingers gently tracing the tattoo on my shoulder, standing out even in the dark against my pale skin.

"I hate that I am so interesting to you…" I whisper, closing my eyes again as he undresses me and takes his time learning every curve and plane of my body.

"I wouldn't want this with someone who bored me." He replies with a smirk in his voice, and I can feel his hand trace a slow path down my chest, testing my reactions. I shiver and I know he feels it because his other hand moves to inch its way up my thigh. I turn my head away to the side, drawing in a sharp breath when his free hand moves down to part my legs. Still I let him have his way, gasping quietly as he touches me. He wants me to enjoy this too and I don't understand why, but there will be less pain this way. His long fingers press into me and I listen to my own breathing, heavy and fast while he pushes deeper. I know what he is searching for and throw my head back with a helpless moan as he finds it, my back arching up from the bed. I have never had a lover in this body, it is still untouched and I had almost forgotten the way this feels.

My skin feels so cold, and his hands are warm against me, holding my hips as he slowly begins to push inside me. As I draw in a shaking breath and cling to the sheets, arching my spine like a bow, he stares into my eyes. I am staring back helplessly, gasping in the darkness beneath him and silently pleading for this pain to end. I like pain I can control; I cannot control this.

His eyes keep me pinned, I can't cry out, I can't do more than breathe in broken gasps.

"Relax…" He commands me in that deep voice, stilling once he's all the way inside me. My eyes slide closed and I turn away, panting as the pain slowly fades. He trails his fingers gently down my throat to my chest but I cannot look at him. His eyes remind me of all that this is not.

All that we are not.

I want to forget, just pretend that this one person – this one mortal – could care that inside I am dying.

No. I should not lose myself in this. I am weak enough as it is.

He moves slowly, gently. He does not want to hurt the one who will bear his child, after all. It feels good, the pleasure he's driving into me so carefully. He is so strong leaning over me and I am so weak lying here helplessly beneath him, this was never what I wanted. How have I managed to fall so far? How could I have let myself become this? Tears that I will not let fall sting my eyes, but I will not open them and he cannot see in the darkness. His hands touch me anywhere, everywhere, and I do not want him to make me feel this good. I have agreed to this, to his lips at my throat, his hands at my thighs… It is too late to stop this now, I am already no better than a whore. This must be the pharaoh's punishment for me, this has to be what he planned when he locked me in this body. To destroy me completely, to have me longing to fade away into nothing. Ra, it is working so well...

His pace is quickening now and his hand moves up my thigh to where my body aches for his touch, but suddenly I do not want to feel any pleasure from this. From him. I do not think I could bear that.

"No…" I moan, my head still turned away and my hands grasping the sheets at my sides because I am just lying here letting him do this to me.

"What's wrong?" He asks, driving deep inside me.

"I do not want this…to feel good…" I breathe, moving a little so that all his thrusts do is hurt me. The pain is not as bad as it was when he first drove into me – it makes me feel better. This is how it should be, this is how it should feel.

He does not know he is hurting me, that I am bleeding on his sheets. I wonder what he will think in the morning when he sees my blood, if he will know that I caused this on purpose? I do not care what he thinks of me.

Finally it is over and he buries his seed in me, his grip on my thigh tightening for a few moments. I am pinned beneath him still, so I cannot move until he lets me up. As soon as he recovers his hand moves back to me but I catch his wrist, finally looking up at him.

"Why?" He asks, stroking my hair back from my eyes. Why won't I let him touch me? Why won't I allow myself pleasure from this? Why am I this way?

I say nothing, because I cannot explain this to him. Just another mortal… Just another mortal…

He moves to the side a little and looks back at me, reaching out to run his fingers along the side of my jaw. I turn away from the touch and get out of the bed, almost falling to my knees because my legs are shaking. I want to curl up in his arms, I do not think I can walk all the way back to my own room.

I take a step away to try and make it back anyway, but he reaches out and pulls me back into the bed, into his arms. I struggle for a moment as a reflex before I realise that I cannot escape, and it does not matter anyway.

"At least stay next to me," he murmurs, holding me against his chest. I am so tired. I cannot keep my eyes from closing, I should be fighting, I should be trying to get away. Instead I relax against him, tired and sore, and let myself fall asleep in his arms.

I do not want to wake up.

TBC

Yep, Bakura is going nuts. The next chapter will probably be where Yami makes an appearance and screws things up further.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Yami's POV is next chapter, and this one is a little short. It wouldn't fit anywhere else, though.

A lilmatchgirl: Bakura's weak and pathetic, yeah. And Yami's gonna have to see him that way. I could make him stronger but the point is he doesn't care, which just proves how screwed up he's gotten. Or I'm a bad writer, that works too.

FlamethrowerQueen: Thank you! I will keep going, this one isn't going to be as long as Dread, I don't have the time to write something too long at the moment.Between my jobs I sleep my life away.

**Brave New World 4 **

_Yami Bakura POV _

I dream of the desert, of losing myself in that perfect, endless wasteland. The golden sands fade into darkness as I slowly wake up, painfully aware that I am still alive and still here in Kaiba's bed. His arms are still around me, keeping me here against his chest where it is warm. If I cannot reach Kuru Eruna I would gladly die here over anywhere else, in his arms where there is nothing but his heartbeat. I close my eyes tightly for a moment, knowing that this is not right, and move back to sit up in bed. I have no child growing in me yet, I would know if I had. The thought that I will have to do this more than once makes me shudder, wrapping my arms about myself because I am cold now that Kaiba is not touching me.

I look over at him, my body aching, and tense in surprise because he is awake and watching me. I had thought him asleep and the shock makes me jump, jarring my bruises painfully. It had been my first time in this body, I was expecting this pain. Forcing him to hurt me did not help, but I will find a bath somewhere in this mansion and wash the pain away.

"Good morning." He says to me, watching carefully to see if I am hurting. I do not want him pretending to care, this is just a body and it only has to last until I can give him what he wants from me.

I do not reply to him; I do not even look at him. I just stare blankly at the covers and wonder how much of my blood is on the sheets beneath, and how many more times I must do this. Is it worth losing my mind just to be able to go back to the desert? I can die just as well here, but I want to see my home again. Just once…

"Are you alright?" He asks, probably seeing the emptiness in my eyes. I wish he would stop asking me that, of course I am not alright. I am a whore, it does not matter how I feel as long as I give him his child.

"Yes." I lie, because it is so much simpler. My voice sounds dead even to me, I do not know what to do anymore.

He moves up onto his knees in front of me and strokes my hair back – he is always doing that – looking at my eyes, which I keep fixed on the sheets.

"You're lying." He says gently. I don't have the energy to make it sound convincing. I do not care that he sees through me. Let him look; there is nothing there.

"I need to wash." I murmur, getting off the bed and wrapping my black nightshirt around myself. It is long enough to cover me so I leave the rest, heading out to find a bathroom. Before I leave his room I see him in the mirror beside the door, looking down at the blood staining the sheets with a frown on his face.

He will just have to buy new sheets, I needed that pain to keep me from losing my mind for just a little longer.

It is not difficult to find a bathroom, this place has many. I slip into the first one I come across and lock the door, twisting the taps on and waiting for the large bath to fill. While I wait I drop the nightshirt I had been wearing in a corner and face the mirror on one wall, taking a new look at myself. It has only been one night here and already I look as though I will not last. My eyes are blank and dead, shadows beneath them and a few light bruises where Kaiba's hand gripped my thigh. My skin is pale now, I bruise easily and it makes me look even weaker. I do not care how I look anymore, seeing myself looking so broken only reminds me of the power I had as a spirit. I would never have let this happen to me then.

My bath is ready so I slip into the water and let it wash over me, soothing the stinging that I will have to get used to and drawing out the ache in my muscles. I close my eyes and ignore everything else for the moment, letting the clean water comfort me. How much longer must I do this?

TBC

Short chapter, sorry!


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Sorry for the longer gaps between updates now, I'm back at work after my holiday so I don't have much time on my hands.

Brave New World 5

_Yami Yugi POV _

Kaiba's limo stops outside his mansion and I get out, staring up at the huge place. He called me an hour ago and sent his car to fetch me, who am I to refuse him? He sounded worried about something, although it's often difficult to tell with him. That's one of the reasons I like him, he's not as easy to read as everyone else.

I can't help but wonder why he called me here, he wouldn't tell me over the phone. He still doesn't talk to me that often, which is quite disappointing. Even after all we've been through together. I've spent a long time trying to get him to admit that we're friends, and we could be more if he'd just stop being so cold and open up a little.

I step up to the door after a flight of somewhat unnecessary marble stairs and ring the doorbell, hearing it echo through the mansion. The place is enormous, I don't know how he can live in somewhere so huge and quiet all alone.

The door opens and instead of some servant to greet me I find myself looking up at Kaiba himself. I must be staring because I've never seen him in casual clothing before. I assumed he always wore that trench coat and all those buckles, but right now he's wearing blue jeans and a black shirt, and his eyes look… different. Perhaps this has something to do with him wanting a child? We had a strange conversation about this a few weeks ago, I hope he hasn't done anything crazy like bought one on the black market… If he wants help with _that_ he can think again.

"Yami. Come in." He leads me inside and closes the door while I look around at all the expensive furniture. I'm glad he's finally stopped calling me 'Yugi' now that I have my own body. The other two yamis have their own bodies too, that was something of an unfortunate side effect. Marik seems to be quite enjoying living for himself, I don't see the thief so I don't know what he's doing with his new life. Probably nothing good.

"What's this about, Kaiba?" I ask, wondering if he'll ever let me call him Seto.

"Keep your voice down," he mutters distractedly, "he's sleeping."

I am confused. Kaiba leads me towards a room on the left of the large staircase and I follow, puzzled.

"Who is sleeping?" I ask, lowering my voice as he asked me to. He just gestures inside the room and I enter, supposing that I will find my answer here. Perhaps he finally got his child? This room is no nursery, though. The walls are lined with books and there's a fire burning in the fireplace, warming the dimly lit space.

Kaiba enters behind me and looks at something near the fire, a strangely concerned look in his eyes. I follow his line of sight and gasp, definitely not expecting this.

Curled up in a chair with his eyes closed and his breathing soft in sleep is the tomb robber, his long, white hair catching the flickering light from the fire. He looks as innocent as Ryou when he sleeps, his skin paler than ever and dark shadows beneath his eyes.

I whirl around to demand an explanation from Kaiba but he raises a finger to his lips, leading me out of the room and up the stairs to one of his offices. Why is that – that _thief_ here? And why did Kaiba's eyes change like that when they looked at him sleeping there?

"Alright." He says as he closes the office door. He seems to be expecting my questions, and I'm not going to disappoint.

"What in Ra's name is that psychopath doing in your house?" I demand, sure that the tomb robber must be up to something. Kaiba's eyes flash with anger for an instant, narrowing at me.

"Watch what you call him." Kaiba growls in warning, and I am shocked.

"Why would you defend him?" I don't understand what's going on here.

"That's none of your business. We have an agreement." He says, choosing his words carefully. "I get a child, he gets to go back to Egypt."

I take a moment to process this, understanding just what their deal entails and the fact that although it's little short of a business arrangement, Kaiba's eyes when he looked down at the thief prove that it's turned into something much more complicated.

"Why would he want to go back to Egypt?" I ask. "There's nothing there for us now." There wouldn't even be ruins after so long.

"He asked me to find Kuru Eruna for him. That's his home?" Kaiba asks, and suddenly I understand why he called me here. He wants to know more about that cursed thief.

"Yes. The village of thieves. My uncle Akunadin had it burned down and the Sennen Items were created there. The tomb robber was the only survivor, he always blamed me." I inform Kaiba. "It was destroyed, there won't be anything there." Doesn't the thief realise that? It'll just be desert now.

"He knows that." Kaiba says, distracted, and I know he's thinking about the grave robber. What could he possibly see in that twisted freak?

"How long has he been here?" I ask, amazed that this house is still standing with _him_ here.

"A little over a week." Kaiba is worried about him. Why?

"And he's not carrying a child yet?" If he'd asked me I would have done this for him for nothing. Why the thief and not me?

"No. He's…not well." Kaiba says slowly, and I raise an eyebrow in question. He sighs and moves to sit in a chair behind the large desk in the middle of the room.

"Have you seen him since the three of you…" He trails off, looking at me.

"Became mortal? No, not really. Well, I've seen him, I just haven't spoken to him." I'd rather not talk to that maniac if I can help it, after all.

"He hates it. He hates this whole world – cars, electricity, everything. He's getting worse, he hardly even talks anymore." Kaiba sounds concerned, and it annoys me.

"Why do you care? He's just a-" I begin, stopping when the door opens and the thief is standing there, looking tired and pale. I've never seen anyone look so ready to die, his eyes are almost completely empty.

Kaiba stands up, forgetting what I'd been saying.

"Bakura, are you alright?" He asks, using the tomb robber's name. It sounds strange, I don't think I've ever heard Kaiba say it before. The thief looks up at Kaiba and then looks down emptily.

"I wish you would stop asking me that." The grave robber whispers in that girlish voice of his, sounding like he wants to lie down and sleep forever. He doesn't even seem to care that I'm here, his enemy.

"Tomb robber." I greet him, not liking being ignored and getting a look from Kaiba for calling him that.

"Pharaoh." The thief replies, then looks back at Kaiba. "I will be in my room when you want me." He says, and I can't help thinking about what the tomb robber means by 'when you want me'.

"Alright." Kaiba says, probably wanting to say more but not in front of me. The thief turns and leaves, closing the door, and Kaiba shakes his head tiredly.

"This deal was a bad idea." He admits, sounding like he wants to go back on it. Again I am surprised; it's rare for Kaiba to regret anything he's done.

"So end it." I suggest.

"I can't. He won't stay." Kaiba says, and I frown. He's admitting he cares about the thief? Then again, the way he says it makes it sound as though the tomb robber will just go ahead and die if he calls this deal off.

If I were Kaiba I'd throw the thief out right now.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Note for a lilmatchgirl: **Well, I _could_ have Bakura loot Seto's, house... I love that idea, but I'd better not. I'll get lynched. Hehee.

Brave New World 6

_Yami Bakura POV _

I must have fallen asleep waiting for Kaiba to finish talking with the Pharaoh because when I wake up he has carried me into his room. I am lying on his bed and he is leant over me, looking down with dark eyes.

"How do you feel?" He asks me, and I cannot help thinking that is an odd question.

"How should I feel?" I reply. Numb, old, tired, broken, used…? I feel nothing.

As is expected of me I pull my shirt off over my head and let it fall to the floor, pausing when he catches my wrist.

"You don't have to keep doing this…" He says, and I wonder if the pharaoh has offered him a better deal.

"I have already agreed to this." I tell him quietly.

"It's killing you." He argues, and I do not care that he knows.

"This whole world is killing me." I say simply, then close my eyes and turn my head away to signal that this is all the talking I wish to do, and he should get on with this. I am not allowed my own way, though. He is the master pulling my strings for now.

"Not tonight." He says, keeping me pinned beneath him. "Just talk to me."

I look up at him with nothing in my eyes and do as he says because he is the one who will send me home.

"What did Pharaoh want?" I ask, wishing that he would just let me go if he does not want me tonight.

"He tried to convince me that you're some monster." Kaiba smirks, looking down at me here, placid beneath him.

"He is right." I tell him, staring evenly back into his eyes. It is true. I am more of a monster than anyone pharaoh has fought. Most of them were insane; I always knew exactly what I was doing. _Why_ I did everything does not matter – nobody ever cares about that part.

"He used to think I was a monster, too." Kaiba says, moving so he's lying next to me, propped up on his elbow. This way he can still watch me; I want to curl up but I force myself to lie still.

"Were you?" I ask.

"Yes." He replies easily. He doesn't seem to care.

"Will you ever tell this child about me?" I ask in a distant voice, knowing that I will never see it grow. I do not know if I regret that or not, but if I stay here in all this light and noise I will lose my mind.

"Would you want me to?" He asks, surprised by my question. He has a dark look in his eyes because I have admitted that I will not be here.

"No." I would not want to know, if it were me.

"What are you going to do when you get to Egypt?"

I am going to die. I look up at the ceiling as he turns out the lamp, planning on going back to my own room as soon as he falls asleep.

"I will find somewhere quiet to live." I murmur, lying because what I am really going to do is find somewhere quiet to die. I just want to see what Kuru Eruna has become, and it can see what has become of me. Once I am gone there will be no one left to remember it and we can all rest in peace.

XxXxX

I cannot bear this much longer. I do not think I will last like this, I should be carrying his child by now but there is nothing, and each day I think that perhaps it will never happen. Perhaps I will be his false lover forever. Perhaps I should just forget about going back to Kuru Eruna and just die here, now.

Kaiba had me come downstairs to eat today so that he could watch me like the interesting specimen I am to him. I did as he asked but did not eat much because the lights were too bright. I said nothing, though.

After the meal he left to call his brother and I stood beside the window, drinking a glass of water and watching the night. Even the water tastes different in this time. I stood there watching the darkness, thinking about nothing so that when an outside light was triggered by something I was startled, and dropped my glass. It shattered on the floor, so I picked up the pieces and cleaned it away, then sat down again away from the window and waited for Kaiba to come back. I did not even notice my shredded hands until he pointed out to me that I was bleeding. Then I just looked down at the blood dripping from my fingers and decided that I wanted to go back to my room. I tried to walk away but Kaiba caught me; now I am in his room and he is bandaging my hands up. I am tired, I want to sleep.

"Does it hurt?" He asks, tying off the bandage. I am glad he does not tell me to be more careful next time, I am not some foolish child. I just do not care.

"I cannot feel it." I tell him, wondering if I will be in pain later or if I am numb on the outside as well. Kaiba looks worried, as though I am in shock. I am not. There was a lot of blood but the wounds were small and shallow.

"You look pale." He says. I am always pale.

"I did not bleed as a spirit." It is strange to see my own blood, from my own body. I hate it, it reminds me how fragile this form is. I am tired. "May I go?" I ask in a whisper, and he reluctantly lets me. I need to sleep – close my eyes and stop thinking.

I am losing my mind…

TBC

That was a slightly boring filler chapter, because I'm good at those. O.o


	7. Chapter 7

LeoOsaka - Sorry I made you sad! This thing's almost over now... there **might** be a happy ending. Or not. Mwahah.

Anyway, a bit of drama in this one to make up for those filler chapters, because writing pointless filler is my special talent.

Brave New World 7

_Yami Yugi POV _

It's been a whole month now since Kaiba took the thief in, and yet again I'm at his mansion. It looks as though things have finally reached breaking point for them, I can't say I'm surprised. Kaiba seems to think I can talk some sense into the tomb robber, regardless of the fact that we hate each other. I don't know why someone like Kaiba – who could have anyone he wants – has humoured that dirty thief for so long.

I would have thrown him out weeks ago. In fact, I would never have let him in to begin with. I wonder exactly what they feel for each other? I'm sure Kaiba loves the grave robber, and I hate it. Someone as base as he is does not deserve Kaiba – what could the thief possibly give him?

He can't even have a child, he's useless.

Now, though, Kaiba has called me in to talk with the thief, and I will do it because it's what Kaiba wants. I know he's chosen the tomb robber over me, and disgusted as I am at his choice I must respect his decision. This won't last anyway, anyone can see that the thief is dying. If things carry on the way they are now it won't be long before it kills him.

I think things would work out for them if they just called off this stupid agreement and Kaiba told the thief how he feels, but there's still the matter of the child, and the tomb robber might not feel the same anyway. I don't think Kaiba is willing to risk losing the thief altogether, it sickens me how much he cares about that freak. I don't like the look in Kaiba's eyes when he watches the tomb robber, he's never looked at me like that.

I don't know what I can say to make the thief see that Kaiba just wants to look after him, but I will try. And if I fail… Well, perhaps it'll be better for Kaiba in the long run.

XxXxX

_Yami Bakura POV _

It has been a month and still I feel nothing growing within me. I think I am fading away, each day I speak less, move less… feel less. Each night I let him do as he pleases with me and each morning I stand on the balcony connected to my room and get a little closer to throwing myself from it. It is a long way down, I am certain I would not survive the fall.

He knows all this. He makes sure to be gentle with me each night, as though it would matter to me if he just threw me down and tore into me. I almost wish he would, then I would not have to make it hurt. He even brings me food each day and stays to make sure I eat it, since I barely leave this room now.

Today it is raining again and I stand at the balcony window, looking out. He has taken to locking it – if I had the energy I could pick the lock but I just stand and watch the water fall heavily against the glass. The door opens behind me but I do not turn to see if it is Kaiba checking that I have not died yet. Not before I can give him his child.

"So you are still here." A deep voice says, and I recognise it easily. Before I would have spun around, ready to attack or defend myself, but now I just keep watching the rain blankly. There is barely anything here anymore, not even room for hatred towards the one who granted me this hell.

"Kaiba is worried about you. Does he have reason to be?" The pharaoh's hand touches my shoulder and finally I turn, seeing the look of shock on his face at the sight of my dead eyes. I hear his words but stare straight through him, not wanting to see him pity me.

"No. He will get what he asked for." I say, my voice only a shadow now. He will have a child, even if I have to be his whore every night until I finally fall apart completely. I will do as I said I would do.

"You know that's not why he's worried. I can see what he meant. Ra, thief, what has happened to you?" He sounds so surprised. See what I have become, pharaoh. See what your gift of life has made me into.

"I want to go back to the Ring." I say simply, my voice tired and emotionless.

"But you have a body now, you're alive." He insists foolishly, as though I had not noticed. I cannot even bring myself to get angry at his stupidity. I want him to go away, Kaiba should not have called him here.

"I did not ask to be alive again. I did not ask for this body. Look at where it has gotten me, Kaiba has more use for it than I do." I turn back to the window, wishing that the pharaoh had it in him to stab me in the back.

"Kaiba loves you, can't you see that?" He says, and I am sure those words must taste like poison to him.

"This is love?" I smirk bitterly at the rain.

"He's worried for you, he wants to protect you." The pharaoh insists.

"Of course, who else would he find to do this for him? I am a means to an end."

Pharaoh would do it. I do not care about all this. I am tired again.

"That is not true." Pharaoh growls. I watch raindrops slide down the glass, wanting him to leave so that everything will be quiet again and I can sleep.

"Send me back to the Ring…" I breathe, almost begging. "End this punishment…" Perhaps the pharaoh would give Kaiba his child in my place so that I can crawl back to the darkness where I belong. They could be a happy couple and I could go out in the rain and finally walk off that balcony.

Without even noticing I take a step closer to the glass and press my hands against it, longing to be out there in the freezing cold. This place has become my prison and I wonder when my punishment will be enough.

"I am not punishing you, thief." Pharaoh tells me, but I ignore him. I am starting to feel dizzy and I lean against the glass, sliding slowly down to the floor. Kaiba wanted pharaoh to talk with me, perhaps he really can help me. He can free me from this agreement: as long as Kaiba gets his child one way or another whatever happens to me is no longer his concern. I will not get to die at Kuru Eruna, but this is a small price to pay to be able to return to the Ring before I lose my mind.

"Pharaoh." I say quietly, looking blankly out of the window at all the grey. He walks over and stands beside where I sit, listening to me. "You love Kaiba." I state, and he looks shocked. It is obvious, the pharaoh has been chasing Kaiba since he became mortal. Even before that, through his host.

"I-I-" He stumbles on his words. At one time this would have amused me.

"You wish to be the one to give him his child."

He stares down at my hollow eyes seriously, frowning.

"He wants _you_, thief." Pharaoh says, and I can tell he does not approve of Kaiba's choice. I smirk emptily at the rain, because I do not approve of it either.

"No. I was just there. You know that this deal will not work. Ra will not grant me a child when all I want is to die again, and do you really want to see him raise something with my blood in its veins?"

He thinks I am tainted by evil or some such idiocy. He is usually right about these things.

"No. I do not have a choice, he has chosen you. He loves you." Pharaoh repeats grudgingly.

"He does not love me. What is there left here to love? Take my place, pharaoh. Give Kaiba his child and release me from this agreement." I say, watching his eyes. He wants this.

"I can't-"

"Do you think it is kinder to let him keep thinking that I can give him anything? Do you think he enjoys having me here? Having to lock the window so that I cannot throw myself from it?" I growl. Ra, please let him just agree, let me know that if I run from here Kaiba will get his child and forget me. I should not care.

"I have to respect the choice he made…" Pharaoh says weakly, and I drag myself up shakily, anger boiling inside me. It is the first thing I have felt in days.

"What about me?" I snarl, knowing he does not care for me but letting this out anyway. "You _owe_ me! You forced this body on me as though it were some gift from the great and merciful pharaoh, I _do not want this!" _I all but scream. "You know how my life went the first time I lived it, what made you think I would want to do it again?"

"Thief…" He is shocked. He can see the despair and hatred that are all I have left in me.

"I hate this world! I am trapped in this hell because you gave me this body and Kaiba needs it, I want to go home before there is nothing left of me! I want to go back to the Ring!"

I must look insane to him, and I am sure Kaiba can hear me screaming from wherever he is.

"This is really…what you want?" Pharaoh looks upset, but I know that deep down he wants to be the one to be with Kaiba in my place. Pharaoh could make Kaiba love him. He would be there for the child. I am just a whore for him, just this body.

I do not care. _I do not care._

"Tell him I cannot help him. Tell him I am… sorry, and you can take my place. I should not be here." I whisper, the anger washing from me and leaving me drained. "This new world is so big, so loud… Do you remember how quiet the desert was, pharaoh?"

No. He does not remember. He would not know, he was never alone out there to listen to it as I was.

"Don't do this…"

He knows what I will do, and he can pretend to care all he likes. I am still his enemy, even now.

"Give me a good reason to stay." I say, and he cannot give me one that I will believe, so I walk past him and out of the door.

TBC

I love drama... This fic will have nine chapters, I think. I'm too lazy to go check my files. Yeah, I have it written out already so I know how it ends, nyah nyah. Usually even I don't know how my fics are going to end... Righto, keep reviewing and I'm off to write something where Bakura's evil for a change. Yay for keeping everyone in character!


	8. Chapter 8

Note: Flamethrower queen says my characterization didn't suck too badly with Yami and Bakura in the last chapter, so I feel warm and fuzzy enough to post this. I've been getting some seriously whacked-out flames off some crazy lately, together with mile-long emails about how she has a crappy dad and her life sucks. I guess that's as good an excuse as any to flame me...

This is the chapter where the shit hits the fan, the next one is the ending. I hope you enjoy, and it's dedicated to my flamer, because lord knows she needs the attention. O.o

Brave New World 8

_Yami Bakura POV _

I have nothing to take with me, and it is easy to escape the mansion without running into Kaiba. I do not want to see him again, see him hate me because I am no longer of any use to him. I could have left any time, but I needed to know that Kaiba would still have his child. I owe him that, in his arms – no matter how false it was – I felt as though I had a place to hide. I have become so weak as a mortal, but now I will return to the Ring and sleep. Perhaps one day I will be strong again.

I leave Kaiba's land down the long, darkening driveway in the rain and find myself on a road I do not know. I pick a direction and begin walking, freezing and not knowing where I am going, but caring little anyway. I had planned to find my light because he has the Ring, but wherever I die I will return there. It does not matter where I go now.

I walk along the road edged by dark trees for hours, watching the rain stop and the moon rise high between the clouds before beginning to fall again. It is icy cold and the puddles are freezing over, I am exhausted and each step is an effort, but I continue on. What else is there to do? A few cars have passed by in the darkness, careening along the road with their blinding lights and roaring engines. Each time I hear one I stumble back among the trees, waiting for it to pass and leave me alone. It is colder than the desert at night and my lips must be blue, I think that if I closed my eyes now it would not take me long to freeze to death.

Hearing the noise of the latest car to pass by cut off I do not venture back out onto the road. Instead I lean against a tree and slide down to the ground, letting my eyes drift closed and my body fall limp. I cannot move anymore.

It is almost dawn and I forget everything else, losing myself in a memory of watching the sun rise over the desert. I am shaking with cold and I am going numb, but I can almost believe that in a few hours the morning sun will rise to bake the desert sand and everything will be fine again.

Almost…

…

I feel a warm touch and struggle to open my eyes, too weak and tired even to do that. All I can do is feel as soft, heavy fabric is draped over me and a voice says something. I cannot understand, I am too exhausted and the words are in Japanese. My head falls back as I am lifted, unable to move to resist being carried. After a few moments I am set down, held against someone, and a car door closes. That jars me from my daze and I manage to open my eyes, but cannot summon the strength to raise my head. Instead I turn to the side a little, burying my head against a strong chest and feeling warm arms tighten around me. I know it is Kaiba, and the thick fabric draped around me is his coat. I have spent long enough in his bed to know the scent of my false lover.

The car starts and I have no energy to do more than tense in his arms. His fingers gently make soothing patterns on my back and I relax again helplessly, wishing he was not so talented at making me give in. I wonder why he has come to drag me back to his house, I know he will be angry that I left him with pharaoh without saying anything – I did not want to see that in his eyes.

I lay still against him for a few minutes, gathering what strength I have left to speak. I need him to understand everything, even if it does not matter to him.

Coughing painfully because I have probably given myself hypothermia, I cling to his shirt like the pathetic creature I have become and he holds me. Once the coughing fit is over I relax my hold on him and wonder what I must look like, pale and half dead and held on his lap in the back of his car with his coat and arms wrapped around me.

"I c-cannot give you a child…" I breathe against his chest, my voice catching because the cold is in my bones and the shaking will not stop.

"It doesn't matter now." He says, wanting me to stop trying to speak because I don't have the strength. I know that I will knock myself out doing this, but he has to understand. He must know.

"I-I need you… to hear me," I plead in a whisper, my voice breaking. I still cannot raise my head to look at him, I am almost glad I cannot see his eyes.

"Alright." He agrees gently, knowing that I will not stop until I explain myself to him. It should not matter to me. I should not care what he thinks of me.

"Pharaoh will give you your child." I gasp out, pain lancing through me. "He… he promised to do this…" I shudder in agony because my body is starting to thaw and it hurts. It hurts even more to say all this to Kaiba.

He tenses a little, angry, and his next words are a growl.

"What makes you think I want him?" He demands. Dark patches dance in front of my eyes and I let them slide closed again.

"Does it… does it really matter?" I moan out in pain, wishing he had let me die in my dreams of the desert. "One body is as good as another…" I whisper.

"Do you think that's all I care about?" He sounds somewhere between shocked and furious, his fingers in my hair tilting my head back so that I will be looking up at him if I open my eyes again. I arch up a little in his hold, pain shooting down my spine, and I know he must have a good view of the agony on my face.

"A-ahh…" I gasp, my breath coming in sharp bursts and my mind so clouded that it is hard to remember what I needed to say. "I c-can't… I can't bear a child for you, n-not like this…"

He tilts my head back further, wanting me to look at him, and I force my eyes to flutter open.

"I am no use to you now," I choke, "let me go…"

"I don't care." He says firmly, and I look into his eyes. They are not angry, or disappointed, or filled with hate. They are just deep blue and concerned.

I am tired, confused and in pain that is getting worse. My own eyes are filled with tears at being so helpless and weak, not understanding this and hurting everywhere.

"A child can wait. That was all I wanted, but now all I want is you. Not just your body. I don't want you for what you can give me, Bakura." He tells me honestly, his eyes on mine the whole time. I give a broken sob because this is too much for me. I had everything planned out – he would have the pharaoh and I would die, but he will not let me have things this way.

"I-I hate this world…" I manage to breathe, knowing that I am going to pass out soon.

"Let me keep you safe. You can have quiet at the mansion, no cars, no Yami, I'll get rid of anything you don't like. I don't need a child now that I have someone to protect, just be with me." He runs his long fingers through my hair and my eyes slide closed, my head aching and my thoughts slipping slowly into darkness. His lips brush mine and I open to the kiss, giving a soft, breathy moan because it feels so good next to all this pain. This is the first time I have been kissed by him and known that he was doing it because he felt something for me.

As I slowly drift into unconsciousness against him all I can think is that I want to wake up in his arms.

Wanting to wake up at all is what surprises me.

TBC

There, only one more chapter to go. It's 5.30am, so I'm off to work. Fun. Before I quit babbling, a reviewer pointed out that in Dread and the Fugitive Mind Bakura would have died way before a month of torture was up. I thought about that and figured she's probably right, what with disease and infection and whatnot. So yes, I am inaccurate and I apologize to anyone who noticed that particular time. Forgive me!


	9. Chapter 9

Note: Short weird ending chapter. Sorry, no lemon! Yes, there will be a sequel when I get around to plotting it out.

Brave New World 9

_Yami Bakura POV _

I do not know how long I slept in his arms, but the first thing I see when I finally open my eyes is the smooth skin of his chest. He is awake, I can tell from the way he is breathing, and I expect that he is watching me. I let him stare and close my eyes again, curling closer and feeling his arms wrap around me. Just because.

The crushing weight of this world pressing in on me does not seem so impossible to escape today. He will let me hide here in his mansion, in his arms. He is sheltering a thief, and suddenly it is not because he wants something from me.

It is just because.

I came so close to going back to the Ring, but he came and bought me back. For the first time since I was given this new life I think that this can work. If he really cares for me, if he will really let me stay and just be his lover with no price… I think that I can live like this.

He moves a little and brushes my forehead with the back of one hand gently, testing to see if I have a fever. I do not know how long I have slept, but I feel better. There are still doubts because that is the way I am, but it is easier to ignore them now.

"No fever." He says, pleased. I look up at him and he stops moving for a moment, staring at me. Then he gently touches my face and his eyes are warm.

"You're so beautiful." He whispers, and I do not know what to say because his voice still makes me weak, even now. "How do you feel?"

I stare up at him for a long moment, thinking about everything that has happened, then smile a little.

"Better." I like his arms around me. I am only mortal now… I am allowed to be weak. He is the only one that would ever know, anyway. "It is true, you will keep me?" I ask, and he laughs slightly.

"Yes. But the way you say it makes you sound like a pet. I just want you here with me."

"I think that I would like to be your pet." I say, although I would never let anyone else hear me say that.

Kaiba…no, _Seto_, laughs at that.

"Good, because I'd like to keep you forever." He tells me. I am not used to …this. I like it when he says things like that, but I will not admit it out loud.

"Did you really think I'd prefer Yami over you?" He asks.

"Yes." I honestly thought that the pharaoh would be better for him than I am, but he chose me anyway.

"He annoys me." Seto growls, and I cannot help but laugh a little. I did not know he still felt that way.

"You called him here." I point out, leaving out that I thought he would ask the pharaoh to do what I could not.

"Only because I was worried about you, and he knew more about you than I did. I thought he could help, but as usual he only ended up making things worse." He frowns, and I can tell that the pharaoh will not be visiting much anymore. "He kept calling you all these things, thief, grave robber… If I hadn't been so concerned about you I would've thrown him out. Probably through a window."

I raise and eyebrow at him, amused and confused.

"I _am_ a thief. Or…I was." I inform him, and he shakes his head.

"He's not calling you that again, not in front of me. Maybe I'll start calling him 'Yugi' again, that seemed to annoy him."

His fingers trace my tattoo idly, his thumb running over it as I lay curled against him.

"Do you think that I am weak?" I ask. I know that he thinks I need to be protected – mostly from myself – but that is not the same.

"No. I've seen you fight, I know how strong you can be and that you're intelligent enough to think your way out of almost anything. I liked the way you always had a plan, then two more for if the first one failed. But, some things are just too much to handle alone." He says, then moves so that I am on my back and he is leaning over me.

"I…" I begin, then pause and look up into his eyes. "You say all these things to me, good things, and I do not know how to say them back to you." I tell him quietly. There are many things I want to tell him, but he is much better at this than I am. I do not know how to make the words sound right, I have never had a lover that I wanted to keep forever. After all, I lived less than twenty years in Egypt and most of that was spent stealing from tombs and fighting the pharaoh.

He smiles down at me, and I wonder how many people besides me get to see that.

"Say what you think."

I look up at him for a long moment and try to remember all the things I want to tell him.

"I am glad that I am here, with you. I do not want to be anywhere else." I tell him, hoping he understands all that I mean when I say that. I think he sees, because he leans down and his lips meet mine in a slow, perfect kiss. I do not just lie here anymore, instead I snake my arms behind his neck and pull him down a little, deepening the kiss into something less innocent.

When we break apart for air I do not let him up, instead I lean to whisper in his ear.

"We can do this… just for what it is, now?" I ask, because something weak in me needs to be reassured. I am sure that I never had such complex emotions as a spirit, but I do not care because I did not have him then, either. He cares about me, and I think it will take me a long time to completely get used to that.

"I'd like nothing more." He murmurs back, his breath warm at my neck. His hand slides up my thigh, but he pauses for a moment.

"Are you sure you're up to this? If it's too soon…"

He would wait, I know. I am ready, though, because I have wanted this since the first night he bought me here.

"I am not _that_ weak." I smirk slightly, and he laughs. He takes his time undressing me and touching every part of me, much like the first time we did this. Now, though, I can let myself feel it.

I can enjoy this now, because I have no reason not to.

The End.

Note: Yeah, the ending kinda sucks. It turned out to be the M-preg that wasn't, but I promise to do a sequel because I just quit one of my stupid jobs and I'm gonna have more time on my hands over Xmas. In the meantime I have plenty of fics to finish, so I hope you enjoyed this one.


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